


Shadows

by Dzuljeta



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Failed Plans, Fluff, Misunderstandings, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Supermarkets, Time Lady Rose, eventually, meetings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2019-11-07 18:35:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17965889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dzuljeta/pseuds/Dzuljeta
Summary: The Doctor finally gives in to Martha’s constant urging for him to accompany her when shopping... Nothing goes as planned.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> BBC owns everything.

**Shadows**

**1.**

“Fine. I will go with you,” the Doctor relented, mostly because he hoped it would stop her whining about him never joining her in her everyday walks… usually having something to do with finding herself inside a shop of some kind.

“Really?” Martha’s eyes sparkled with excitement. She has long lost hope to ever get the Doctor to take part in her possibly plain, possibly foolish but very likely fruitful plan. It worked on human men. Why not on the Doctor?

The Time Lord, meanwhile, believed to have seen Martha’s intentions through. Some boasting about a new boyfriend for her chatty friends couldn’t hurt him.

When the Doctor realised Martha Jones was taking him into a supermarket, rather than some tiny shop around the corner, he growled inwardly. “You know I hate supermarkets!”

“How can you be so sure?” The girl smiled sweetly at him. “I’d bet you have never been to one!”

The Doctor shook his head. “I have. Too many unrelated things in one place.”

“I love it. So many different items to choose from!”

“Well… I think you’d like to shop alone, while I wait outside.” The only shops the Doctor was fond of visiting were the little places, usually having something unique in them.

Martha objected to his idea wildly. She needed the Time Lord with her. “No way!”

The Doctor exhaled, having expected such a reaction from her. Maybe he could lose her somewhere among the shelves…

He has entered the supermarket hurriedly, wanting to be gone from this enormous place as soon as possible. Martha was feeling particularly brave all of a sudden, grabbing his hand. The Doctor took it away at once, sending Martha a hard look. He has grown used to her having some outrageous ideas concerning him, ones getting easier and easier to see through as time went on. But he tried his best to hide the fact from her.

The Time Lord has barely managed to move away from Martha when another woman has caught his attention.

One glance his way has made Rose Tyler freeze in place. She exhaled, uncertain if this wasn’t caused by the fever she believed to have caught from some coughing passer-by. It really hasn’t been a good idea for her to go out, in the first place, but something was forcing her to come there. Now, she knew why.

The Doctor didn’t think so, recognising the state all too well. First-hand.

Ignoring the surroundings, he hurried to Rose, surprised no-one noticed she was looking like someone in need of urgent medical attention. “Rose-” He breathed.

She gave him a wry grimace. “How very fitting. I wouldn’t be surprised to know I am ill because of you, Doctor.”

“Don’t say that!” He warned, terrified. “I wouldn’t think of causing you harm, ever, I-”

Rose inhaled, feeling the sudden flood of emotions has only worsened her ailment. His following words have only heightened the sensation.

“I’m sorry. I should have noticed the signs sooner! He panicked. “You are coming with me, Rose!”

Before she could object, he grabbed her by the hand and addressed Martha.

“I’m sorry. I am heading for the TARDIS. This wonderful woman here has a high fever. Please, could you get her something to send it down?” The Doctor asked Martha sweetly.

The black girl was too stunned to question anything.

“Of course.”

The Time Lord nodded. “Just keep away from aspirin.”

With these words, the Doctor left the supermarket with the fair-haired girl by his side, knowing as well as Rose did the fever has had nothing to do with any human illness.

Martha was perplexed. It seemed his dislike of supermarkets has been as strong as he has said. More than that, he has left her to roam around while he has left… with a stranger. A _wonderful woman_ kind of stranger. So much for her careful planning.

With the Doctor out of sight, the girl has suddenly had no reason to stay inside the supermarket, only grabbing something she could remember she needed, lost in thought.   Whatever was it the Doctor wanted? Aspirin? No, anything _but_ aspirin! Martha shrugged to herself. She knew the Doctor couldn’t take aspirin, it seemed he was sure this girl couldn’t, too. Well. She should have grown used to his shenanigans by now.

 

Meanwhile, the Doctor has almost carried the shivering Rose into the TARDIS, trying to look strong and supportive. “Trust me, I know just how you feel,” he assured her.

“I doubt that.”

The Doctor smiled at her instead. “Let’s get you home,” he said. “I’m sure the old girl’s going to be over-excited, as she should be,” he winked at her.

Rose blinked, allowing the Doctor to do whatever he thought was best, particularly because he knew exactly what to do.

Rose’s family back in the parallel universe have been trying to convince her she was supposed to be happy there, spending her life safe from dangerous aliens and, most importantly, insanely rich.

Neither Jackie nor Pete has ever imagined she was going to leave them as soon as she got the opportunity, the practically endless amounts of money her family now possessed opening Rose every door. Even if it meant she needed to lie and cheat her way through the system, at times.

However, as soon as she has returned back to her original world, different issues have arisen.

The fact the old girl has suddenly decided to fill her mind up with the strangest of things has only worried her at first. Just until the fever has begun. Without realising where her legs were leading her, Rose has found herself inside some enormous supermarket. She has had no more money on her, for God’s sake!

“Tell me it’s not too late,” Rose breathed out, currently . “I can imagine you finding yourself new companions whenever you wish, but-”

The Doctor could feel it was her fever talking and it was possible they’d return just to the way they used to be… Or they would have tried to keep pretending nothing was happening. Before.

“I think you need to sleep now, Rose. If you want, I am going to stay here with you for until you’re fully rested. All right?”

“Yes,” she smiled, her head feeling heavy all of a sudden. “It might take days,” Rose spoke, no longer wishing to explain herself. He knew.

  



	2. Chapter 2

**Previously...**

_“I think you need to sleep now, Rose. If you want, I am going to stay here with you for until you’re fully rested. All right?”_

_“Yes,” she smiled, her head feeling heavy all of a sudden. “It might take days,” Rose spoke, no longer wishing to explain herself. He knew._

* * *

 

**Shadows**

**2.**

 

“Everything’s going to be brilliant,” he muttered, both to Rose and to himself. “Rest now, my dear.”

She nodded. “Mum’s tea would have helped,” Rose smiled.

He smiled back at her. “I’m sure the old girl would learn to prepare any sort of tea for you.”

“I’d rather you did,” the girl muttered, finally giving in to sleep, one supposed to alter her nature completely.

 

When Martha arrived, he has only sent her a tense smile. “This woman… She’s  my everything. Be nice to her.”

“Of course. I have brought your friend some medicine, as asked.”

“Thanks, Martha. I knew I could trust you.”

The dark-skinned companion breathed in and dared to give him the question at last. “Tell me more about this friend of yours- what is her name?”

“If you knew her as well as I do, Martha Jones… You would understand.”

Martha rolled her eyes at him. “I can’t try learning anything about her without you sharing something as ordinary as her first name with me!”

“That’s cheating, Miss Jones,” he warned.

The girl looked him over flirtatiously. “Are you trying me out?”

The Doctor glared at her. “Don’t try this on me, Martha. I may lose control.”

The black girl bit her lip, refusing to accept the obvious. “Lose control how?”

“You don’t want to know,” he said darkly, hating himself for getting into this mess in the first place.

“What if I do?” Martha eyed him challengingly, determined to break his unbreakable shell.  

The Time Lord exhaled tiredly. “If you want someone to be in a romantic relationship with - look elsewhere, Martha Jones.”

The companion looked at him curiously. “Are you afraid of something so natural? I can help you!”

The Doctor hated this situation, knowing Rose would know how to deal with it.

At that moment, Rose opened her eyes. _What is the trouble?_ She asked him telepathically. _Everything hurts and the last thing I need is getting involved in saving you from something you are able to deal with yourself. But, since I’m awake anyway, for this moment… is this woman causing you trouble?_

The alien’s eyes travelled between Rose and Martha, seeing two completely different emotions in their eyes.

“Hi,” Rose spoke harsher than she usually would with strangers, but protecting the Doctor went before all. “It’s too soon for me to wake up. I need to resume my… healing. Leave the Doctor alone. Trying to seduce him might cost you dearly,” she warned the stunned companion, her eyes glinting gold.

Martha wasn’t afraid of her at all. Aliens and their alien-like friends. It was time she accepted it. “Is this woman your _everything_?”

The Doctor glared at Martha threateningly. “Be still. Your unwelcome attempts to do the impossible have awakened her.”

“Unwelcome? Really?” She couldn’t believe it.

“You are imagining things which can’t be.” _Filling her brilliant mind with thoughts she has trouble filtering._

“Why?” Martha Jones was used to getting anything she wanted, even if it took her some time. With the Doctor usually looking so flirty and willing, she imagined it was only a matter of time and patience.

“I can’t tell you. Not until my friend is fully awake and ready for what I have planned for us.”

Martha giggled excitedly, not paying attention to his actual sour expression..

“Do you mean you intend to invite your mysterious feverish friend to travel with us?”

He nodded briskly. “It might take days until she’s fully… er, healthy again. I have promised her to never leave her side. You don’t need to be sitting here with us. Go, make yourself a cuppa, read something, well, do whatever you like-”

“Right. I’d like to stay here and keep you company,” the black-skinned companion refused to leave.

The Doctor groaned inwardly. “Are you sure? Even if all I do is watching over her?”

“Even if so. We could both watch over her. You could always tell me something about her, you know.”

The Time Lord sighed. “I’d rather not. Not until she’s awake.”

“If you say so. By the way, what was it she’s had in mind when she warned me against-”

“Impossible things,” he said quizzically. “Don’t even try thinking about it.”

Rose’s mind, at the time of her lengthy transformation, had to be as bare and open as possible without causing her any irrevocable harm which, he knew, the old girl was protecting her favourite ever companion from. Even if it meant doubling the protection, with someone as clingy as Martha Jones threatening to accidentally break apart the transformational process, her mind filled with ideas the old girl knew Rose was not ready to deal with at this point.

The Doctor cleared his throat, determined to come up with any reason to get Martha to leave him and Rose alone, for however brief a while. He believed, no, he _knew_ his one and only Rose Tyler was subconsciously craving for his support. For his touch. For the words he has never said.

“I have just realised we could both truly get some tea. I wouldn’t mind a cuppa. Just for the fun of it, make it three!”

Martha was ready to do whatever the Doctor’s asked of her, but that request has honestly surprised her. “What do you mean, three? Three cups of tea? For you, me and- you don’t mean her?” For the first time that day, she was reminded the Doctor wasn’t human.

“For her, yes. She loves her tea just like everyone.”

The dark-skinned companion couldn’t stop an eye-roll. “I understand as much, Doctor. But hadn’t you said it might take days until she’s awake?”

He sighed. “I’m sure the TARDIS is going to keep her tea hot and fresh for as long as necessary.

“How am I supposed to know how your friend likes her tea? With or without sugar? With or, Heaven forbid, without milk?” Martha tried to jest, yet the tense obligatory smile on his face was gone off the Doctor’s face the second she’s exited the room.


End file.
